Recently I posted in /japanlife that I want to quit a part-time eikaiwa job and I wasn’t sure how to go about it since I’m very popular among the students. I was told on there that I’m completely replaceable as an eikaiwa teacher so it doesn’t matter, I should just say I want to quit and that will be the end of it.
After sending a message that I want to leave due to a sudden illness (this is an excuse to leave), my boss started negotiating with me and basically tried to do anything to keep me from leaving. ( If eikaiwa teachers are replaceable and my job has no value, then why would he do that? ). I found it very hard to keep telling him no I want to leave so we decided that I will have fewer lessons due to my “illness”. ( I feel horrible for lying about this but many people told me it’s better to avoid saying honne. )
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Anyway, I would like to know if anyone has had a similar situation. What did you do?
Reasons I want to leave:
\- there are some students with ADHD/special needs and I am not qualified to teach them especially in a big class (I wasn’t warned about this before signing the contract).
\- it’s exhausting to teach several students in a row with no break
\- I feel like preparing for the lessons takes up too much time and I want to use that for something else
Reasons why they don’t want to let me go:
\- it’s hard to find another teacher right now in Japan cause of travel restrictions
\- the prefecture I live in doesn’t have many English speakers/teachers
\- the children and parents really like me
\- it’s not good for the teacher to change too much (I have been working here for only about half a year)
17 comments
I don’t get how all of these troubles are your troubles. Just quit! Go in there, tell the boss you’re quitting. Whatever comes out of his/her mouth is irrelevant.
If he tries negotiating, explain that this is something to do with whoever replaces you. You quit. Hell, if you don’t have a contract, just go in there and tell him you won’t be coming in tomorrow.
>If eikaiwa teachers are replaceable and my job has no value, then why would he do that?
He has a worker working. Replacing the worker will take time and will likely cause issues with scheduling. It will probably take a month to find another sucker to replace the one he already has.
>my boss started negotiating with me and basically tried to do anything to keep me from leaving. ( If eikaiwa teachers are replaceable and my job has no value, then why would he do that? ).
To buy himself time to find a replacement. You ARE replaceable, they will just pretend you’re not so they can find a replacement.
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>I found it very hard to keep telling him no I want to leave so we decided that I will have fewer lessons due to my “illness”.
A good strategy is to ask for time to think about it then send an email saying you have considered it and will still be leaving.
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NEVER take a counter-offer. Almost everyone who wants to quit and is talked out of it will quit anyway within a year.
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>- there are some students with ADHD/special needs and I am not qualified to teach them especially in a big class (I wasn’t warned about this before signing the contract).
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>- it’s exhausting to teach several students in a row with no break
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>- I feel like preparing for the lessons takes up too much time and I want to use that for something else
Most entry-level eikaiwa are like this so don’t expect anything different somewhere else.
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Manipulate a better wage for the meantime anyhow, unless you have another job ready quitting now would just be a waste.
Might as well get more money from them while you’re lining up something else.
The reason they don’t want to let you go is it’s bad for the business for a foreign teacher to leave in the middle of the year. Period. It makes the business look like a bad place to work. Which is seems to be.
Don’t let them talk you into thinking the kids or parents give a damn about you specifically (they don’t, not in less than a year).
It seems like you have trouble being assertive to a person with an aggressive personality. You’re not alone. That’s why they have companies that will quit your job for you. Look up 退職代行サービス (taishoku daikou service).
I know you think they’re nice but look at it this way. You told them you’re ill and instead of letting you quit or take as much time off as you wanted, they tried to manipulate you into staying (and succeeded).
Repeating what everyone else is saying, there are no friends in a business transaction. People will always prioritize their bottom line, just like your boss did (even if he’s nice and your friend).
Definitely get better at being more assertive in professional scenarios. You don’t need to be aggressive or loud, just stick by your decisions.
Dude, just tell boss you were actually just to embarrassed to say that you are not making enough money to support your lifestyle. Name your price and if he can’t meet it, say, I’m sorry I am going to have to move on.
Dude, just tell boss you were actually just too embarrassed to say that you are not making enough money to support your lifestyle. Name your price and if he can’t meet it, say, I’m sorry I am going to have to move on.
May I ask what prefecture this is in?
Just leave the damn job. Yes, you are completely replaceable, that doesn’t mean they want you to leave. It’s not your problem if they can’t find another teacher or it’s bad to change mid year. By the way, since you’ve expressed that you want to leave, they are searching for a teacher. Once they find one, they will kick you out the door
Why are people telling you that eikaiwa teachers are (easily) replaceable? With the country being closed to immigration coupled with a large number of foreign English teachers returning to their home countries during the pandemic, the supply of English teacher replacements is probably at the lowest it’s been in a decade. And the supply of *good* English teachers is definitely even less.
OP seems like a good person who genuinely wants to do the right thing and part ways on amicable terms. People suggesting you just up and quit are the very same people who would likely be outraged if a company just fired someone without warning. It’s a two way street.
Giving your boss a hard decision but enough time to make it work for all parties involved (which includes the children in this case) is the right choice.
Heh, I help run an eikaiwa and we have literally had teachers quit by email 10 minutes before their lesson, or just stop coming without saying anything.
If you want to leave, just tell them when your last class will be. The more notice you give them, the nicer you are. But it is 100% your decision as to why and when. No need to give a reason either.
When it’s done, or maybe along the way now, make a list of the things that have made you want to leave. As many specifics as possible.
Then, whenever you’re asked to do something new (a little part time work here or there), review this list and–politely of course–lay down some boundaries, so that a similar situation doesn’t happen again. Eg, no back-to-back classes (or no more than two in a row). Also, since special needs/ADHD is not really recognized here, it may be that the only way to avoid this is to not do kids at all, and since you’ve now tried it and know you prefer adults, stick with that.
If your Japanese is good enough that you’re translating for the police (besides what people have seen in your posts as reflective of your character), you are probably a wonderful ‘catch’ for someone running an Eikawa. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying teaching and people (I did it till I retired), but you have to know both your value, and your limits (and that you can adhere to those in good conscience).
The reasons you site are pretty common across eikaiwa, even the more reputable ones. I’ve taught kids who had undiagnosed autism, severe speech impediments, and glaring learning disabilities in both Japan and Vietnam. I was not opposed, but rather limited in my abilities and knowledge.
The eikaiwa standard seems to be–have instructors teach as many lessons as possible, into a legal grey area. There will always be a compromise between quality and profitability.
Despite the sweet talk–and they may be sincere, Japan’s work place policies are often an anachronism (as are America’s–side note)—I guarantee the school you work for has had a history of high turn over. The fact that you’re the only, or one of a few native/fluent English instructors there speaks volumes. They’re not retaining employees…people leave for better opportunities.